Our Programs

Since 2018, the Venture Accelerator at UCLA Anderson’s Price Center has supported early-stage startups through three industry-agnostic programs per year along with year-round advising. These include the six-month, immersive Accelerate program; a two-month summer incubator called Activate for idea- and prototype-stage companies; and Showcase, a two-month program culminating in a demo day attended by investors, entrepreneurs, alumni, faculty, staff and media representatives.

Accelerate

The Venture Accelerator at UCLA Anderson offers a curated and immersive six-month experience customized by vertical for early-stage startups. This program is for founders who are, at a minimum, at the prototype stage, but ideally launched and operational. The expectation is to accelerate from pre-seed to the seed stage of funding and in some instances, Series A. Applications for Accelerate open in September to all startups in the L.A. ecosystem.

The minimum benchmarks necessary to be considered for the program include the following:

  • A founder who is working full time on the venture with members covering business, tech/CTO and operations
  • A company that is at the prototype stage and has proven the concept for product-market fit
  • A company that has gained traction/validation in terms of monthly recurring revenue, users and/or funding

Program includes:

  • Biweekly one-on-one mentoring sessions that assess specific needs and create custom milestones with the Accelerator advisory staff
  • Specific and several mentor pairings to accelerate companies' trajectories
  • Weekly workshops that cover company value proposition and narrative, customer acquisition/growth, PR/media, financial modeling, business plans, hiring and pitching, legal, insurance and accounting
  • Regular networking events with an extensive community of industry professionals, startup founders and Anderson alumni
  • Proof-of-concept grants

Activate

This program supports founders at the earliest stage of their journey. This two-month summer incubator program works with both idea-stage and prototype-stage companies to build a defensible foundation toward a viable venture. Applications for Activate open in April to all current UCLA students and alumni.

The main goal of the summer incubator is to help first-time founders validate problem-solution, determine customer segment and competition, and test product-market fit. Upon completion of the incubator program, founders will develop a minimum viable product (MVP) and will be eligible to apply to the immersive, six-month winter Accelerator program, which runs from January to June.

accelerator showcase

Showcase

This is a two-month, intensive program running from September to October that connects founders to investors and mentors, culminating in a large demo day to a curated audience. This program prepares participating founders to present at our culminating Showcase event, which is attended by early-stage investors and entrepreneurs; UCLA alumni, faculty and staff; and media representatives.

This program is open to Activate and Accelerate participants and the broader UCLA community, with a focus on founders looking to raise capital. Applications for our Showcase program are available in late summer to all UCLA students and alumni, with slight preference given to those who have participated in our other programs.

Workspace

 
As part of the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, the Anderson Venture Accelerator is located on the first floor of the Rosenfeld Library at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Program participants have 24/7 access to the newly renovated 10,000-square-foot co-working space, including conference rooms, a kitchen and shared office equipment and supplies.

The Benefits of Working With Us

 

Accelerate Podcast

Entrepreneur-in-Residence Rod Kurtz talks with entrepreneurs about how they’re adapting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing insights into how they’re connecting and conversing, as well as crowdsourcing solutions during this unprecedented time.
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